The red light at the bottom should be blinking steadily about 2 times a second.

If the blinking has a different pattern then read the chart next to the red dial to see what to do.

The only problem we've had thus far is that during a heat wave in 2006 Andersonville's power was not blacked out, but rather, reduced. Although many residents did not notice the lower power, the water heaters did not kick on. We saw 4 blinks in a row. If we flipped the black blower toggle switch on the black box on top of the heater, then we could force the it to kick on. (maybe not sucha great idea in hindsight, as the fan may not have been creating enough wind to blow the dangerous gasses out of our homes.) So wait until the brown out passes, then flip the blower switch.